Device for pneumatically operating photographic shutters



No. 6|5,3I5. Patented Dec. 6, I898. S. H. SMITH &. H. HDLBUBN. DEVICE FRPNEUMATICALLY OPERATING PHOTOGRAPHIC SHUTTERS.

' (Application led Nov.v10. 1897.5 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I V TH:Nonms PETEns (anA maremma.. wAswNsroN, n4 c.

S. H. SMITH & H. HULBORN.

Patented Dec. 6, |898. y

DEVICE FUR PNEUMATICALLY OPERATING PHIJTDGBAPHIC SHUTTERS.

(No Model.)

(Application led Nav. 10, 1897.)

2 She'ets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL HENRY SMITH, OF PERRYVILLE, AND HENRY HOLBORN, OF ST. LOUIS,MISSOURI.

DEVICE FOR PNEUMATICALLY AOPERATING PHOTOGRAPHIC SHUTTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming peut ef Lettersratent No. 615,315, dated Decembero, lees.V

' Application filed November 10, 1897. Serial No. 658,011. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that we, SAMUEL HENRY SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Perryville, in the county of Perry, and HENRY HOLBORN, asubject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at St. Louis, State ofMissouri, have invented a newand useful Attachment for PneumaticShutter- Openers, of which the following is a specification.

As is well known, most photographic cameras are provided with shuttersso connected with a piston reciprocating in a cylinder attached to thecamera that when air is forced into the cylinder the piston is forcedoutward and opens the shutters, and when air previously forced into thecylinder is withdrawn and a partial vacuum created the piston is forcedinward Vby atmosphericpressure and the camera-shutters are closed.

The device ordinarily used heretofore for forcing airrinto andwithdrawing it from the cylinders of pneumatic shutter-openers of thekind described is a compressible rubber bulb of common form, which isheld in the hand of the operator and is connected with the cylinder ofthe shutter-opener above men tioned by means of a rubber tube. Such abulb has several inherent defects. Among them are a lack of durabilityand a tendency to remain in a collapsed condition when compressed. Itis, moreover, very difficult for an operator to time an exposurecorrectly by means of the device described when doing 2. Fig. 2 is avertical section on line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking toward the rear. Fig. 3 isa vertical section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side Y elevation ofour device on the side opposite ism and the thumb-piece used in settingit.

Fig. o' isa horizontal section on line 6 G, Figs. l and 3, lookingdownward. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a photographic camera with aninstrument attached thereto. Fig. S is a diagrammatic view showing theparts represented in one position. Fig. 9 is a similar View of the sameparts in another position; and Fig. l0 isa detailed view of a horizontalsection on line 1 0 lO, Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The shutters and the pneumatic shutteropener in connection with whichour device is designed to be used being old and well known are notillustrated in our drawings.

The connection between the shutter-opener and our attachment may be madeby means of a rubber tube l, Fig. 7, just as the connection isordinarily made between shutter-openers and the common rubber bulbs nowin use, as indicated in Fig. 7, in which 2 represents a photographiccamera of common form,

and 3 our improvement. The outer end of the tube l is preferablyconnected with our portrait-work, for ne Is not ordinarily able to keephis eyes upon a timepiece, as the sitter usually requires his attention.

Our invention relates to means for operating pneumatic shutter-openers;and the chief objects of our improvements are, iirst, to provide asubstitute for the common handbulb above mentioned which will be freefrom the defects of such a bulb, and, second, to provide an automatictiming attachment which can be set so as to give an exposure of anydesired length and close the shutters of a photographic cameraautomatically at the properinstant. VtTe attain these objects bymechanis m whose preferred form is illustrated In the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure lis a vertical section on line l l, Fig.

device by means of a nipple 4, Fig. 4, over which it preferably iits,and which is provided with an air-passage 5, which connects said tubewith the interior of a cylinder', Figs. l, 4, 5, and 7, attached to thecasing 7ot' our device, and preferably, but not necessarily, projectingforward from said casing somewhat after the manner of the barrel of apistol from its handle, as shown in Figs. l, 4, and '7.

Within the cylinder (i a piston S, Figs. l, 4, and 9, reciprocates. Itispreferably, but not necessarily, in the form of a tube, open at itsinner end and closed at itsouter end and telescoping into the cylinder6, as shown in Fig. 1. Between the piston 8 and the outer end of thecylinder a coiled spring 9 is preferably arranged within the cylinder,as shown and 9.

in Figs. 1 and 4. This spring'is compressed when the piston 8 is forcedinward, and when the piston is released said spring tends to force itback to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

To the outer side or end of the piston 8 a piston-rod 10, Figs. 1, 2, 4,8, and 9, is shown attached and projecting rearward. This rod is shownprovided near its outer end with a laterally-projecting pin 11 on oneside, Figs. 1 and 2, and on the other side with a springlatch 12, whoseinner end 13 is secured to the piston-rod and whose outer end isprovided with a shoulder 14 and a rearwardly-projecting tip 15, whichlast preferably normally rests upon a pin 16, projecting from the sideof the piston-rod and limiting the downward movement of the rear end ofthe latch, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9. The forward or inward movement ofthe piston 8 is effected by means of a sweep 17, whose lower end isattached to a sleeve 18, through which apivot 19 passes, Figs. 1, 2, 3,4, 8, 9, and 10. The upper end 20 of the sweep is preferably bent inwardand then upward, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 8, To the upwardly-projectingtip of this sweep a dog 21 is attached by means of alaterally-projecting pivot 22, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9. The dog 21 isshown provided with a rear incline 23, extending upward and outward andterminating in a tip beyond the pivotal point of the dog, a frontincline 24, extending forward and upward, a shoulder 25, and alaterally-extending pin 26. The pin 26 rests upon a spring 27, whoseinner 4end is attached to the sweep 17 and which tends to keep the frontend of the dog 21 in lthe. elevated position in which it is shown inFigs. 8 and 9.

The piston-rod 10 reciprocates in the form of our device shown betweentwo side plates 28 and 29, forming parts of a frame by means of whichthe movement hereinafter described is supported. Two rods or bars 30 and31 connect the plates 28 and 29 and are designed to engage the dog 21,as shown most clearly in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9. Vhen the sweep 17 isdrawn back into its rearmost position, the rear incline 24 of the dog 21comes in contact with the bar 30, which forces the shoulder 25 of saiddog down into position to engage the pin 11, projecting from thepistonrod, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. lThen the sweep 17 is thrownforward, its dog 21 carries the piston-rod 10 forward with it until thedog 21 reaches the bar 3l, when it rides up on said bar, as shown inFig. 4 in dotted lines and in Figs. 8 and 9 .in full lines, and releasesthe pin 11. lVhen disengaged in this manner from the pin 11, the dog isprevented from dropping back into position to rengage said pin by thespring 27, hereinbefore mentioned, even if the sweep is allowed to moveback far enough to disengage the dog 21 from the bar 31.

In moving forwardy the piston-rod 10 carries the shoulder 14 of itsspring-latch 12 over the head of a rearwardly-projecting catch 32, Figs.1, 2,-4, 8, and 9, arranged in its path and which it is enabled to passby rising above said catch, and as long as it retains its normalposition prevents the backward movement of the piston 8 and its rod 10.Therefore when the piston-rod 10 is released by the dog 21 it isprevented by said catch from being forced backward by the spring 9 aslong as the catch retains its position. Y

The catch 32 is rigidly attached to a shaft 33, journaled in the plates28 and 29 and having depending therefrom and attached thereto a detent34, having a toe 35, which normally rests upon the periphery of a disk36, provided with a notch 37 and preferably attached to and rotatingwith a shaft 38, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10. As long as the toe 35rests upon the periphery of said disk the catch 32 is held rigidly inits upper position, and if in engagement with the latch 12 prevents therecession of the piston 8; but when in the course of arevolution of thedisk 36 the notch 37 is carried under the toe 35 while the catch 32engages the shoulder 12 the catch 32 is forced down out of engagementwith said shoulder by the backward thrust of the spring 9 and the toe 35is forced down into the notch 37 and the piston returns to the positionin which it is shown in Figs. 1 and 4. A spring 39, whose inner end isshown attached to a pin 40, projecting from the outer side of the plate28, is arranged beneath the detent 34, so as to be compressed when thetoe 35 of said detent is forced into said notch 37 in the disk 36, andas soon as the catch 32 is disengaged from said latch 12 said spring atonce lifts the toe out of the notch and causes the catch to rise intoposition to rengage said latch. The movement of the toe 35 into and outof said notch occupies but an instant and does not interfere with therevolution of the disk. The upward movement of the detent is preferablylimited by a stop 40.

The post 33, to which the disk 36 is attached, is journaled in bearings39 in the plates 28 and 29, Figs. 2 and 10, and carries at its outer enda hand 4l, which moves over the face of a dial 42, Figs. 5 and 7, showndivided into 16 spaces each representing a second. Said post alsocarries a thumb-piece 42ad at its outer end, by means of which it andthe hand 40 and disk 36, attached thereto, may be turned so as to causethe hand 40 to point to any desired portion of the dial and the notch 37of the disk 36 to assume any desired relation to a pin42b,extendinglaterally from the face of a spurwheel 43, carried by theshaft 38. The wheel 43 is not attached rigidly to said shaft, but ispreferably, together with a pinion 44, which may be made integraltherewith or otherwise connected with said wheel, secured to said shaft38 by means of ,an inner collar 45 and an outer collar 46, attached tosaid shaft, and a coiled spring 46, surrounding the shaft between thecollar 46 and said pinion and forclOO ing the hub 47 of said spur-wheelfirmly position in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

against the collar 45, Figs. 5 and l0. Motion is communicated to saidwheel 43 and through it to said disk 36 from a mainspring 48, Figs. 1and 2, surrounding a winding-post 49, journaled in bearings 50 in theplates 28 and 29, and having one end attached to said winding-post andthe other to a revoluble housing 51, attached to a spur-wheel 52,turningon said Winding-post, and which meshes in with the pinion 44. Saidwinding-post 49 carries at its inner end a ratchet-wheel 53, which isengaged by a pawl 54, pivotally attached to the plate 28 andpreferablyheld in engagement by a spring 55, as well as the force ofgravity, and a pawl 56 is pivotally attached to a reciprocatingbar 57and preferably pressed into engagement by means of a spring 58, whoseinner end is attached to the saine bar. When the movement is Wound up,the spring 48 is condensed, and through the medium of said housingoperates to rotate the wheel 53, the

pinion 44, with which said wheel gears, and

through said pinion the spur-wheel 43 and the shaft 38, which carriesthe disk 36. Motion is also transmitted through said wheel 43 to thepinion 59, with which it gears and which, together with a spur-wheel 60,is carried by a shaft 61. From the wheel 60 motion is transmitted to apinion 62, Fig. 1, attached to a shaftcarrying a spur-wheel 62, whichgears with a pinion 62b on a shaft 62, carrying a fly 63,by means ofwhich the speed of the movement is'preferably governed.

To a pair of lugs 64, projecting from the end of the case 7, the upperend of a lever 65 is shown connected by means of a pivot 66, and betweensaid lever and the case a spring 67 is shown arranged so as to tend tokeep said lever in the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1 and 4.The lever 65 is shown pivotally connected to the outer end of thereciprocating bar 57, by'which the pawl 56 is carried. A horizontal slot68 in said bar permits the passage of the winding-post 49. Said sweeppreferably contains an inclined slot 69, through which Va pin 7(7),attached to the bar 57, projects.

A pin 71 preferably projects from the side of the bar 57 and engages alever 72, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, whose lower end is attached to a shaft 73,j ournaled in bearings 74 in said side plates 28 and 29, and whose upperend preferably contains a notch 75, extending inward from its rear edge.A spring 76, whose lower end is shown attached to the plate 28 and whichis arranged in front of said lever, tends to push the upper end of thelever 72 into th horizontal bell-crank lever 77 is shown pivoted betweena pair of lugs 78 in position to be moved by said lever 72. When saidlever 72 stands inthe position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, its upperend is in the path of the pin 42h, extending out from the face of thespur-wheel 43, and when said pin inthe course of the revolution of saidwheel is carriedA against said lever the revolution of the wheel .6, sothat the wheel 43 can in any case only make a single revolution beforehaving its motion arrested either by the lever 72 or the' lever 77.

In focusing with a photographic camera it is often desirable to keepthe' shutters open much longer than they are ever kept open in exposinga sensitized plate,and we have therefore provided a sliding stop 7 8b,Fig. 1, adapted to be moved up and down by means of a button 79,projecting through a slot inthe case. When slid up into the position inwhich it is represented in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the head 8O of saidslide is in the path of the vanes of the iiy 63, and when struck by oneof said vanos it arrests its course, stops the movement of theconnecting mechanism, and prevents the shutters from being closed. Bysliding the stop 78b down into the position in which it is shown in fulllines in Fig. 1 it is withdrawn from the path of the fly-Vanes, and themechanism is then free to drive the wheel 43 on around until said wheelhas completed a full revolution.

In using our attachment the operator should first set the timingattachment so as to secure an exposure of the desired length. When thehand 41 points to 0, the toe 35 of the detent 34 is preferably in theposition in which it is shown in Fig. 9, and in setting the timingportion of the device said hand is turned back by means of thethumb-piece 42Lqone space for each second of exposure desired. In Fig. 5it is shown two spaces from zero, 4and the instrument when so set willgive an exposure of two seconds. In turning the hand 41 back the disk36, which, like the hand 41, is attached to the shaft 38, is alsorevolved and assumes', when set for a two-seconds exposure, the positionor about the position in which it is shown in Figs. 4 and 8. Theinstrument being thus set, the operator preferably grasps its handle sothat the cylinder 6 will point forward and presses the lower end of Athe lever 65 inward from the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1and 4 to the position in which it is represented in Fig. 3. In doingthis he forces the bar57inward, and by means of the pawl 56, carried bysaid bar, forces the ratchet-wheel 53 to make a partial revolution, andthus winds up the spring 48, already preferably partially wound, andcompresses said spring enough to enable it to force the spur-wheel 43 tomake one revolution. At the same time said bar 57 forces the sweepforward from the position in which it is shown in full li-nes in Fig. 4and in dotted lines in Fig. 1 into the position in which it is shown ton8 inward, compresses the spring 9, and

IOO

IIO

by expelling the air from the cylinder 6 and forcing it through the tube1 into the pneumatic shutter-opener (not shown) opens the shutter of thecamera or othei` instrument. When thus forced inward, the piston-rod 10is at the end of its stroke released from the sweep 17, but thecompressed spring 9 is prel vented from forcing the piston back by thecatch 32, as hereinbefore explained. Another thing accomplished byforcing the bar 57 inward is the release of the wheel 43 and themovement of which it forms a part. When the lever 65 is in the normalposition, in which it is shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 6, the pin 42h of thewheel 43 rests upon the top of the lever 72; but when said bar 57 isforced inward its pin 7l, which rests against the front of the lever 72,forces said lever outward into the position in which it is shown in fulllines in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 6 and disen gages it fromthe pin 42h, thus leaving the wheel 43 and connecting mechanism free torevolve, but in moving out said lever 72 strikes the outer arm of thebell-crank lever 77 and throws its inner arm into the path of the pin 42in position to stop said 'pin when the wheel 43 has substantiallycompleted a full revolution. After forcing the bar 57 inward in themanner above described the lever 65 may either be held in the innerdisengaged position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 or released. In anycase it will be forced back into its original position by the spring 67as soon as the release takes place and will carry the bar 57 and thesweep 17 back with it and cause the dog 21 to assume the position inwhich it is shown in Figs. 1, 4, 8, and 9. Where the device is set for atwo-seconds exposure, the disk 36 will be carried into the position inwhich it is shown in Fig. 9 in two seconds after the shutter is opened,and the toe 35 of` the detent 34 being no longer supported by theperiphery of the disk 36 the catch 32 will be forced down out ofengagement by the action of the spring 9 and the piston 8 will be forcedback into its original position. In moving back the piston 8 will drawair into the cylinder 6 from the cylinder of the pneumatic shutteropener, and thus cause the shutter to be instantly closed.

Ve have described the preferred form of our device, but do not wish tobe confined thereto, as the details of the mechanism can all be changedwithout departing from the underlying ideas therein embodied.

We claim- 1. The combination in a timing apparatus, of a cylinder havinga port for the admission and escape of air; a reciprocating piston fordrawing air into and forcing it 4out of the cylinder; mechanism forforcing the piston into the cylinder and holding said piston in itsinner position; and a spring which is compressed by the inward movementof the piston and automatically forces the piston outward when thelatter is released.

2. The combination of an air-chamber; a

cylinder, means connecting the chamber and the inside of the cylinder; apiston for the cylinder; means for forcing said piston into saidcylinder and forcing air from the cylinder into said chamber and aspring which is compressed by the inward movement of the piston andtends to force the piston outward and cause it to draw air from saidchamber into said cylinder.

3. The combination of a cylinder 6 having an air-'port 5; a piston 8 inthe cylinder; a piston-rod attached to the piston; means for forcingsaid piston inward and driving air out of the cylinder; a catch forlocking the piston in place at the end of its forward stroke; means forautomatically forcing the piston back after a forward stroke, upon thedisengagement of said catch; and timing mechanism for withdrawing thesupport from said catch at a predetermined interval after thetermination of the forward stroke. n

4. The combination ofthe cylinder 6, a piston in the cylinder; apiston-rod; a pivot-ed sweep carrying at its upper end a pivoted dog forengaging said rod; a lever 65, a spring 67 for forcing the lever 65outward; a bar connecting the lever 65 and the sweep 17; and means fordisengaging the dog from the piston-rod at the end of a forward strokesubstantially as described.

5. The combination of the sweep 17; the dog 2l pivoted to the sweep andhaving the inclines 23 and 24 and the shoulder 25; the spring 27elevating the front tip of the dog; a piston-rod engaged by the dog;means for setting the dog in position to engage the piston at the end ofits back stroke and means for dsengaging the dog from the piston at theend of its forward stroke, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the cylinder 6 having a port for the admission anddischarge of air; a piston in said cylinder, having a piston-rod; asweep for drawing the piston inward and forcing air from the cylinder, adog carried by the sweep, by which it engages the piston-rod; means fordisengaging the dog at the end of the instroke of the piston; a catchwhich engages the piston-rod; means for forcing the piston backward; arevoluble notched disk 36; a detent connected with said catch and havinga toe normally resting upon the periphery of said disk, substantially asand for the purposes described.

7. The combination of the disk 36 having a notch 37; the shaft 38; adial; a hand 4l attached to the shaft 38 and moving over the dial; agear-wheel through which the shaft 38 passes; means holding said gear inposition on said shaft; a spring; means transmitting motion from thespring to said wheel and through it to said shaft; means regulating thespeed of said wheel; the catch 32 and the detent 34 substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination of a movement'having `a wheel 43 with a pin 42; alever 72; a bellcrank lever 77; a lever 65 and means by which IIO elies;

the lever 72 is thrown ont of the path of the pin 42 and the lever 7 7into saidpath.

9'.- The combination of the herein-described timing movement having afly and a stop movable by hand and independent of the timing mechanism,for engaging a vane of the fly in one position, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

10. The combination of the piston-rod 10; the latch l2 and the catch 32substantially as described. Y

11. The combination of the spring 48, the Winding-post 49; theratchet-Wheel 53 attached to the Winding-post, the reciprocating bar 57and the pat'vl 5.6l pivoted to said bar rr;

and engaging said Wheel substantially as describedd S. HENRY SMITH.HENRY HOLBORN.

Witnesses to the signature of S. Henry Smith:

HARRY A. SMITH, JOE J. TUCKER.

